Government Denies Arresting Bishop

30 June 2004

On May 27, an 84-year-old bishop of the underground Catholic Church, Zhao Zhendong, disappeared, taken into custody by Chinese authorities. However, facing increasing international pressure, China's Religious and Ethical Affairs Bureau has publicly denied that Zhao had ever been arrested. According to a June 25 report from Voice of America, a spokesman for the bureau claims that Zhao had been voluntarily taking a course on China's official religious policy. The official claimed that Zhao had now finished the course and returned to his church in a village in Hebei where there are no telephones. When Voice of America attempted to confirm that Zhao had been released, a spokesman from the Vatican stated that they had heard nothing from Zhao since his arrest.

In recent months, Chinese authorities have been increasing pressure on underground churches, arresting hundreds of believers. Some have been released after a few days, while many remain in prison and "re-education" camps. Pray for Zhao and the many other Christians facing prison for their faith. Pray for physical strength, as well as a firm resolve to follow Christ without wavering.

For more information on persecution in China, click here. You may also want to view some of VOM's videos on China available online on our new multimedia website, PersecutionTV.

China

Current Ministry Projects
The Voice of the Martyrs Canada continues to help distribute Bibles to Christians in the country, making it possible for them to have their own printed version of God's Word. Additionally, VOMC works with various mission partners to facilitate a Biblical understanding of persecution and discipleship, while presenting ways to effectively respond and minister within the context of hostility.

Project Funds: Underground Church, Bible, Relief & Development
Country Information
Population
1,413,142,846 (2023 est.)

Ethnicity (%)
Han Chinese (91.1), ethnic minorities (8.9 - includes Zhang, Hui, Manchu, Uighur, Miao, Yi, Tujia, Tibetan, Mongol, Dong, Buyei, Yao, Bai, Korean, Hani, Li, Kazakh, Dai, and other nationalities) (2021 est.)

Religion (%)
Folk religion (21.9), Buddhist (18.2), Christian (5.1), Muslim (1.8), Hindu (< 0.1), Jewish (< 0.1), other (0.7 - includes Daoist [Taoist]), unaffiliated (52.1) (2021 est.)

Leader
President Xi Jinping (2013)

Government type
Communist party-led state

Legal system
Based on civil law system; influenced by Soviet and continental European civil law systems

Sources: CIA World Factbook
Pray for China
Pray that the Gospel will be proclaimed throughout China without government interference so many more names can be added to the Lamb's "Book of Life." May there also be a spirit of unity demonstrated among the country's growing churches, further strengthening existing believers and spurring them on in their ministry service and evangelistic outreach within the country's numerous communities.